Which teams are in the T20 World Cup semifinals and what’s the schedule?

EXPLAINER

From schedule and venues to title favourites and their route to the semifinals – Al Jazeera explains it all.

Sanju Samson’s stunning unbeaten innings of 97 in a must-win game against the West Indies took India over the line in their final Super Eights fixture, thus completing the semifinal lineup for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The holders’ bid to become the only team to successfully defend the title, lift the trophy at home and add a record-breaking third T20 World Cup remains on course, but they face tough challenges from powerful opponents in the knockouts.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3India now sets the terms of global cricket
• list 2 of 3As T20 World Cup begins, ousted Bangladesh rues politicisation of cricket
• list 3 of 3The Take: Inside India and Pakistan’s explosive cricket rivalry

Here’s everything you need to know about the T20 World Cup semifinals :

What are the schedules and the venues of the semifinals?

• New Zealand vs South Africa on Wednesday, 7pm (13:30 GMT) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India
• India vs England on Thursday, 7pm (13:30 GMT) at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India

What was New Zealand’s route to the semifinals?

Group stage:

• Defeated Afghanistan by 5 wickets
• Defeated the UAE by 10 wickets
• Lost to South Africa by 7 wickets
• Defeated Canada by 7 wickets

Super Eights:

• The match against Pakistan abandoned
• Defeated Sri Lanka by 61 runs
• Lost to England by 4 wickets

What was South Africa’s route to the semifinals?

Group stage:

• Defeated Canada by 57 runs
• Defeated Afghanistan in the second super over
• Defeated South Africa by 7 wickets
• Defeated the UAE by 6 wickets

Super Eights:

• Defeated India by 76 runs
• Defeated the West Indies by 9 wickets
• Defeated Zimbabwe by 5 wickets

What was India’s route to the semifinals?

Group stage:

• Defeated the USA by 29 runs
• Defeated Namibia by 93 runs
• Defeated Pakistan by 61 runs
• Defeated the Netherlands by 17 runs

Super Eights:

• Lost to South Africa by 76 runs
• Defeated Zimbabwe by 72 runs
• Defeated the West Indies by 5 wickets

What was England’s route to the semifinals?

Group stage:

• Defeated Nepal by 4 runs
• Lost to the West Indies by 30 runs
• Defeated Scotland by 5 wickets
• Defeated Italy by 24 runs

Super Eights:

• Defeated Sri Lanka by 51 runs
• Defeated Pakistan by 2 wickets
• Defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets

Which teams are favourites to enter the finals?

South Africa are on a mission to make up for their lost chance in the previous T20 World Cup final, where they lost by seven runs despite being in control for most of the run chase.

In the current edition, the Proteas are the only undefeated team and have won all but one of their matches comprehensively in the previous two phases of the tournament.

South Africa are the only team to have two batters in the tournament’s top run-scorers chart and three bowlers in the top wicket-takers.

Form and statistics make Aiden Markram’s side the favourites for the final, as well as the title, but will they be able to shake off their usual knockout stage jitters?

India have been far from perfect in this tournament but have found ways to climb out of the holes they have often found themselves in – whether with the bat or the ball.

Being the ICC’s top-ranked T20 team with the top batter and bowler on their side, the holders will be favourites to retain the title.

Playing in front of a partisan cricket-mad home crowd backfired against them in the 50-over World Cup in 2023, so it remains to be seen if they will succumb to the pressure of expectations or thrive under it.

How and where can I follow and stream the T20 World Cup semifinals?

Al Jazeera Sport will provide comprehensive live coverage for both semifinals. Our build-up will begin at 10:00 GMT on matchday, followed by photo coverage and a text commentary stream.